After dropping the first two games of the season at home, Georgia Military College (GMC) Prep also lost its first road games, falling 35-7 to Brentwood on Aug. 29 in Sandersville, followed by a 34-14 loss last Friday night to Taylor County in Butler.
“Honestly, it’s tackling,” Bulldogs head coach Gavin Tierce told The Baldwin Bulletin following the Brentwood game. “We’re fighting the run and we’re in position to make stops, but we’ve got to finish plays. If we cut out a few missed tackles each quarter, we’ll get off the field on third [down] and flip field position in our favor.”
In the Taylor County contest, the Vikings led 7-6 at halftime but went on to dominate the second half based on the passing performance of quarterback Leland Holder. Holder completed 14 of 19 attempts for 288 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 20.6 yards per pass.
Vikings running back KJ Dugger also impressed with 103-yards rushing and two touchdowns while averaging 7.4 yards on 14 carries.
“In the first half we were right where we wanted to be, playing tough, physical ball and trading punches,” Tierce said after the Taylor game. “A critical fumble on a drive that we believe would have put us ahead ended up giving Taylor County an extra possession that they capitalized on.”
Though obviously disappointing, the loss to Taylor County was not a terrible performance for the Bulldogs, who played a very good first half of football. Tierce believes his team has developed confidence on the playing field.
“We have gotten better every single week, and the kids feel it.” Tierce said. “Our plan from day one was to embrace dog fights in the non-region slate, learn from them, and be peaking when region play arrives.
“You can see the growth in our discipline, conditioning, and toughness [through] longer drives on offense, fewer self-inflicted mistakes, and a defense that keeps giving us a chance.”
GMC will continue seeking its first win of 2025 at 7:30 p.m. Friday when it hosts undefeated Creekside Christian (3-0) at Davenport Field in Milledgeville.